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Juan Guaido, whom many countries have recognized as the country's legitimate interim leader, at the National Assembly in Caracas, January 15, 2020. REUTERS / Manaure Quintero

After two weeks of fighting for his perch in Venezuela, Juan Guaido begins a world tour. He has been in Bogota since this weekend despite his ban on leaving Venezuelan territory. He is due to meet Mike Pompeo on Monday January 20 as part of a summit against terrorism. At the same time, President Nicolas Maduro said he was ready to start negotiations with the United States.

With our correspondent at Caracas, Benjamin Delille

It is the second time in a year that Juan Guaido has challenged his ban on leaving the country. He would have crossed the Colombian border Friday, without anyone knowing how, before arriving Saturday night in Bogota.

After a meeting with Ivan Duque on Sunday, whom he thanked for his support, he will meet with the American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who begins this Monday a tour of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Juan Guaido should then go to Europe, to Davos, to attend the World Economic Forum, then to Brussels to visit the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The objective is clear: to strengthen ties with the fifty or so countries that have recognized him as interim president of Venezuela. According to Bloomberg, he also hopes to meet Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, but nothing has been confirmed.

At the same time, his rival, Nicolas Maduro said he was ready to reopen a dialogue with the United States. In an interview with the Washington Post over the weekend, he said that if sanctions against Caracas were lifted, American companies could greatly benefit from Venezuelan oil resources.

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